A Heart of Passion
by Haileyamandar
Summary: Sequel to AHoG! Shikamaru and Temari are back in Konoha. As they find themselves in a relationship that can possibly be doomed, will they have to throw it all away? And when something comes up that demands all of Temari's attention, how will it survive?
1. I Already Have You

He hadn't seen a more beautiful day in quite a while.

It was overcast, of course. The clouds were painted with slight traces of gray and the sun managed to peek through random gaps to bring forth little warmth down onto Konoha. Everyone else he could think of hated this kind of dreary weather, and they knew he loved it. But so what? That just made Shikamaru… Shikamaru! Nobody ever tried to change him. At least when it came to his tastes in weather.

_I'm not the only one who likes this climate_, the new Jounin reminded himself silently, as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and gazed up at the mid-afternoon sky. With his self-correction came a huge grin and his mind wandered to more pleasant things. He brought forth in his mind the image of a blonde woman from the sand country, three years older than him and definitely his motivation for recently becoming a Jounin. His newest catch was his complete opposite and yet somehow became the person he could relate to the most; like a rival. Which was exactly what Temari was to him. But she was also his girlfriend, and – another correction – his first catch. Ever. Once again, his brain buzzed with new-fangled thoughts.

Shikamaru stopped in his tracks to soak in a patch of sunshine. The warm weather was starting to disappear as cold, wet winds blew springtime away, and so he wanted to enjoy the heat for as much longer as possible. For the first time in his life, however, he was excited for the upcoming fall and winter duo; surely he and his first-time girlfriend would share memorable moments, cuddle by the fire, and make-out in a pile of snow once winter strolled along. Among other breath-taking things they could do together.

Every time he saw her now, he was hopeful that Temari didn't have any surprises up her sleeves – he still couldn't always understand what she was thinking at times, and it kind of freaked him out when he caught her eye and she was staring at him with that "I can't believe you just said that" sort of look. For a while he had been bored with trying to find a woman; they were too talkative, too evil and gossipy, too unbearable to be around when they were on their menstrual cycle. Not to mention how they liked to throw things at him. But when Temari came on that mission with him just a month and a half ago, she somehow interested him and attracted him and vexed him so much that he started losing sleep when he'd wake up from dreaming about her, and he couldn't eat breakfast because his belly was too antsy to digest anything as he pondered that dream.

He started walking again, hands still in their pockets, grin still on his face.

He passed by many unfamiliar faces as he traveled through the alleyways and main streets. He was oblivious to all of them, however, since he had a purpose for being out this time of day. That purpose was resolved when the fifteen year-old stopped on a certain doorstep and knocked eagerly, his tongue dancing inside of his mouth almost as if it knew what was coming. The door opened almost right away to reveal the only girl he was looking for, but it wasn't a reunion he had at all expected and maybe hoped for. Standing at the doorway was Temari. In her hands, however, was a large suitcase – the single one she had that she had brought from Sunagakure.

"What's that?" Shikamaru demanded, looking down with a grimace at Temari's right hand, which held the luggage. He felt a mixture of many emotions; but mostly he was embarrassed to realize how much of a horndog he was being; their relationship was more than just lip and lust. He couldn't seem to get enough of her, though.

The kunoichi saw the dreadful look on her friend's face, and she smiled. Under different circumstances, Shikamaru would have been able to tell the smile on her face was indeed mischievous. "My stuff," she said, emotionlessly. She had wiped the smile off of her face.

She watched as he shifted nervously and caught her eye. She could tell he was very confused and frightened at the sight of her baggage and that he was trying to hide it. But emotion was impossible for him to hide now; she had him written like a book. She was proud of that, too.

"Don't worry. I'm not leaving yet," she assured him quickly. She was done with the joke. Didn't want her new boyfriend to die so soon, after all. She almost felt bad when she saw the obvious look of relief on his face, but she handed him her bag instead of saying sorry for the mean prank. "Listen, Tenten is on a mission. Tsunade has offered me a guesthouse in the main quarters of the village, and I accepted the offer. Take me there?"

Temari had been living with Tenten's family for her entire stay in Konoha as an ambassador. Perhaps she was fitting so well into the ambassador role that Tsunade insisted she deserved her own place, which she did, of course. Or it was probably because Suna and Konoha were trying to reform their old alliance and Tsunade wanted to give the respected care that was due. Besides, the Hokage and the Suna ambassador got along well - with all those facts in place, Shikamaru wasn't surprised at the generous offer from Lady Tsunade.

Being the gentlemen he was, he took her bag and watched her step down to the dirt ground, studying her curves underneath her kimono. Why did she have to be so good looking? Someone was going to notice sooner or later just how much he was staring at her.

He didn't feel like he was the one being gross in this relationship. Temari had proven herself to be the aggressor in many situations.

The couple walked in silence together towards Temari's new place. They said nothing and just enjoyed one another's company, taking relaxed steps. They never liked to rush the time they spent together. Minutes later, they were walking through tall, cherry, oak wood doors, which looked very fancy and possibly expensive.

"Wow. This place is huge," Temari said quietly, looking around at the tall walls and lavishly decorated rooms. Chandeliers hung from the grooved ceilings, accenting the beautifully painted, textured walls. A magnificent, ancient-looking table was the first thing that appealed to Temari's teal eyes. She rushed over towards it and gawked at the smooth surface, running her hand down a chair.

Shikamaru carried her bag further through the house, taking in the sights and smells. Temari was very cultured and sophisticated, but in an elegantly humble way. It was hard to guess whether or not she'd like having this wonderful place to herself.

He had fully circled the house and its every room when he ventured back to Temari, who was now studying the kitchen.

"There's two master bedrooms, five bathrooms, a study room, and, of course, the kitchen," he told her, with a small smile on his face.

She looked over at him, her face sparkling. She was excited. It made his heart race when he realized she looked exactly how she did that day they saw those whales on the Usuras' boat, when they were traveling to the Land of Snow. And he cherished that look.

"I put your things in the last room on the right," he continued, pointing down a wide hallway. "The view is amazing there."

She furrowed her brows and glanced towards a window, tiptoeing around Shikamaru curiously. "What view?"

His eyes then glowed when he took her hand and led her towards a double-door entryway, opening it to pull the blonde woman through. It led to the backyard of the guesthouse - if you could really call it a backyard. A garden was more like it.

It was closed in by a tall, white picket fence for privacy; and maybe to compliment the plethora of colors that blinded the couple at first when they stepped fully into the sunlight. To the right, there was a thicket of red roses. Straight across, there was a small pond full of orange and white fish. The pond was decorated with beautiful white lilies, and surrounding them were purple flowers, orange flowers, violet flowers - Shikamaru lost track of the colors and just watched Temari's reaction.

"They're gorgeous! How do they take care of all these flowers? And so flawlessly! I can't believe she let me stay here! I don't even…I don't even know what which ones are my favorites! I love it!"

She spun around in a quick 360 degrees, but stopped when she was facing in Shikamaru's direction. She caught his eye and saw he was grinning from ear to ear, and it was too contagious to resist. She smiled back at him and took a deep breath to relax herself. The excitement of this new guesthouse had been overwhelming for a brief moment but now she had other things on her mind.

"Want to get some dinner together?" he asked her quietly, rocking on his heels with his hands in his pockets. The mood was heavy in the air; he was desperate for more of her company. She probably was, too, he thought.

She placed a hand on her hip and leaned her weight to one foot - a gesture that made him wonder what she had planned for him. Whether or not it was going to be something good, well, he'd take his chances since it would be worth the risk.

"I'll cook you dinner tonight in my new kitchen," she said softly, a breeze blowing the hair out of her face. He watched her brush some strands behind her ear, and dug his hands deeper into their pockets.

Dinner on her? At her place? Surely that wasn't all she had planned, he thought suspiciously as he looked her up and down with his dark eyes. He waited for the catch,

"…As long as you help me cook the meal, that is."

* * *

An hour later, the man and woman were standing inside the kitchen, which had been freshly stocked with foods of all kinds when servants had prepared the house for her. After scouring what was available, Temari had pulled out a few ingredients from the fridge and the pantries while Shikamaru watched with interest. As soon as everything was ready on the counter, he had realized that she picked a very sentimental meal.

Now they were in the process of making the_ Nikujaga_, the beef and potato stew that Aruki and Temari had prepared for Genzi, Jerome, and Shikamaru the night they had come home from the all day search for Ruka. The beef had been cut and now they Shikamaru was cooking the rice while Temari stuffed potatoes inside an oven.

"I love your cooking," Shikamaru admitted, staring down at the pot he was currently using. "And this has got to be even tastier than that fried fish you made for me that one day."

Temari stood up and wiped sweat off of her brow; the oven's hot air had rushed around her face and suffocated her. She smiled breathlessly at her comrade's back. For some reason, knowing that Shikamaru was a fan of her cooking just made her twinkle with enthusiasm.

"Well, we'll see if I love yours in a few minutes," she said, carrying a small sack of flour from one counter to another. It was getting dark outside, the room glowing with traces of orange and pink light from the sunset outside the windows. They'd be completely finished and eating in less than an hour, and she couldn't wait. Although, she was having fun cooking with her boyfriend, she had to admit.

He took a moment to walk away from the rice and stood behind her, watching over her shoulder as she opened the packet of flour and poured it into a bowl very professional-like. "Cooking is troublesome. It wasn't meant for me," he said as he reached down for the empty flour bag.

She laughed and watched him curiously as he shoved a hand inside of the bag. He had no idea what he was doing. But she got the hint when, seconds later, he was smearing a flour-covered hand all over her face very playfully. She snatched the bag away from him and tried to retaliate, tearing at the plastic with mutilating nails.

In moments he was covered in white powder and the kitchen was even dirtier than before.

* * *

They were sitting outside now, with bowls in their hands, enjoying their food in front of the setting sun.

It was so peaceful in the garden, too, and the food was delicious. It was becoming his new favorite dish, he determined, but he might have a biased reason for loving it so much.

"Well, today has been one of the best days ever," Temari said, smiling as she plucked a piece of beef and carrots into her mouth. Shikamaru studied the traces of flour that still lingered on her face and in her hair and on her clothes as she melted into the flavor of their homemade _Nikujaga_. "We may have trashed the kitchen with our incessant flirting, but it will be worth the hour of cleaning it will take."

She looked over at him, an array of colors reflected in her eyes. He caught her eye and they stared at each other in a silence that seemed to last longer than it really did.

"If anybody saw you right now, they'd wonder why Suna picked such an Ambassador to represent their respected country," Shikamaru teased, referring to her messy state. Temari leaned backwards with a quiet but gut-wrenching laughter, putting her bowl in the grass. She took in a breath and looked back over at him with an equally humorous stare.

"If anybody saw you, it wouldn't phase them, since you've always been a slob."

He grinned and looked down at his feet, in a relaxed mood. Ever since Tsunade had told him that he'd be getting tons of more missions, the last month had been relatively quiet. Both he and Temari had things to do every once in a while, but it felt like they had spent every waking moment of the month together - and neither of them were tired of each other.

Minutes later, Shikamaru was getting up.

"It's getting late," he said, offering her a hand to help her up. She picked up both empty bowls and brushed grass off of her kimono, feeling a small twinge of sadness that another night had already come and gone.

"Yeah. Thanks for bringing me here and then helping to cook dinner. I enjoyed it."

She watched, however, as he reached into his pocket and pulled something out. When he reached his hand out to her, she gasped when she saw what was laying there in his palm, sparkling in small rays of starlight. It was small, made of gold, and had a beautiful emerald fused into its center.

"I want you to have it, Temari," he said, looking at her face as she stared down at it in awe. He thought momentarily how the necklace he was holding in his hand was the thing that had saved his life just days ago.

She looked up at him, confused. "Why would you give this to me? Genzi wanted you to have it."

He blinked softly and smiled toothily, reaching for her hand. He dropped the item into the palm of her hand and looked back to her face.

"It's a piece of jewelry, Temari. What am I going to do with it?" He shrugged it off like it was nothing, and was serious again. "Besides, I don't need any Heart of Gold. I've already got you."

She was still looking down at the gold piece of jewelry when Shikamaru hopped on top of a fencepost, looking down at her. His words mulled over in her brain and she felt her heart begin to race.

"I'll come by tomorrow," he promised. With a smirk, he was quickly gone and heading for home, leaving Temari in her backyard.

Hours later, Temari was asleep in one of the most comfortable beds she had ever slept on, clutching the gift from Shikamaru close to her heart.

* * *

**Author's Note: Welcome back, avid AHoG shippers. This is the long-awaited sequel, as you already know. I can't wait to take you guys on an even greater Shikamaru x Temari journey!**


	2. Interruption

Two brown eyes flickered open at approximately eight-fifteen in the morning, to the sound of metal clanking against countertops. It was a familiar sound, one he had been able to hear often now that missions had been slower. The smell of cooking fish was faintly in the air of his room.

Sitting up in bed, Shikamaru took a moment to rub his eyes and let out a big, lazy yawn, not in a hurry to really wake himself up. He had pleasant dreams; mostly of just afternoons spent loafing around and cloud gazing, where he would look over to see Temari was lying at his side. Then the cloudy daytime would turn to a milky night sky dotted with shining stars and he and Temari would sigh contentedly and drown each other out in one another's emotions.

The spiky-haired ninja cleared his throat and stepped off of his mattress, walking towards his dresser to throw on his usual attire. In the back of his mind, he realized that there was no pitter-patter of rain on the roof, and it surprised him. With the cloudy skies yesterday and the nice, cool temperatures, he was sure that a cold front was in the process of passing over Konoha.

Disappointed, Shikamaru slid open the entrance to his room and walked out to the hallway. It was shame it wasn't at least drizzling. He actually kind of enjoyed rain. Temari was so cute with wet hair.

He saw his father was already sitting at the dining table, eagerly awaiting to be fed by the wonderful cooking of his dear wife. The forty year-old man looked patient enough, but the way he sat hunched over his bowl and watched Yoshino's every move with an eagle's eye suggested that he was hungry. Fortunately for him, most everything was prepared and ready to dig into. Yoshino was just placing the last pot on a cloth when she noticed her son coming towards his seat, and she smiled.

"Morning," Shikaku greeted casually, first to break the morning silence.

As Shikamaru silently took a seat on a cushioned chair, he felt two pairs of eyes on him. When he glanced up at his parents, Shikaku was taking a suspicious sip of his hot tea, while his mother was apprehensively scooping rice out of a pot.

As they began to pass along the food, the talking began.

"You've just been so quiet ever since you came back from that mission," Yoshino mumbled, in disbelief. "Well, quieter, I should say. You've always been a man of few words."

Quieter, huh? From what he knew, his mother hated it when he spoke since he was always complaining about one thing or another.

Shikaku hummed a curious tune, taking a long fillet of salmon with his chopsticks and setting it on his plate.

Yoshino continued her gibber-jabber without delay.

"And you know what, Shikamaru? You're out of the house everyday now. You wake up earlier, too. Is it because of your job with the pretty Ambassador girl?"

Shikamaru swallowed some steamed rice and stared down at his plate. "Hai. Yes it is," he replied in his melancholy tone, pretending not to be phased by her words.

"I knew Temari would teach you some more responsibility," his dad grunted, pecking at some vegetables on his plate. Trust his father to be blunt about everything. "Tsunade was right in letting you be her guide."

Shikamaru closed his eyes and chewed a small piece of his food.

"Delicious, Mom," he said in across the table, ignoring Shikaku's statement.

"Arigato," she replied with just as much pleasantry, pouring sugar into her beverage.

For a brief and relieving moment, Shikamaru thought the topic was done with. But he was a genius, too smart to let that thought last for long, and just moments before the words shot out of his mother's mouth, the ninja braced himself for the impact.

"Gosh, I just can't stop talking about how cute you two look standing side by side. It's like you were built for each other," the pale woman gushed, while Shikaku merely stared down at his plate in a reserved manner. Shikamaru was sure he'd find out _his_ opinion in just a few moments as well. "And you two are always flirting. Did you even know that, Shikamaru?"

Her uncomfortable son couldn't help but clench his jaw. Was it really that obvious that the two were more than just friends? They hadn't made their relationship public yet, but that was because it was complicated. And calling it that was an understatement of the century.

The subject was awkward for him, too. He hadn't ever had this kind of teasing from his mother before. He needed to be extremely cautious; if his parents saw through him so far, they'd notice how awkward he was currently feeling. And they'd be sure to jump on the opportunity like fleas to a dog.

A moment later, to his dismay, he realized his parents were two steps ahead of him.

"So, that mission you two went on… You guys were gone for quite a few weeks," Yoshino stated, looking up at him with a familiarly hard face. "Did you sleep in the same room?"

"No," he said, refusing to give her the satisfaction of telling her that, yes, at several points, they had. But all times except once it was on a couch and the other time he was supposed to be on his deathbed. Of course, they did kind of make out on his deathbed as soon as woke up…

"So you didn't have sex?"

He looked up and caught her eye, feeling extremely ridiculous. He was a Shinobi, for Kame's sake, he had _killed_ people before. Why would his own mother ask him a question about his sex life? They weren't even in Konoha for their mission, they were in the house of their employer in the Land of Snow.

To echo his thoughts, Shikaku butted into the conversation before Shikamaru could even think of something coherent to respond with .

"Yoshino, don't be ridiculous. Do you know nothing about missions?" he argued. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and crumpled it in his right hand. "You don't have the time or the energy for games. Your duty is to--"

Interrupting him, Yoshino clicked her tongue and set down her chopsticks, pushing her bowl away from herself. "I know, I know. Don't make me sound so idiotic." She gave her hubby a quick look of stubborn disapproval, but quickly turned her attention back to her only child.

"I know you didn't have sex with Temari. I just love to see you blush," she said with a motherly smirk. "Although, it's a shame that you two are from different villages. I do think the sand woman would be the best choice in a wife for you. Don't you agree, Shikaku?"

Before he could hear his father's answer, Shikamaru pushed himself up from the table, leaving most of his food untouched on his plate.

"I'm not ready to think about that sort of thing," was all he said, and he swiftly headed for the door, forgetting about the rest of his breakfast. He had enough of such troublesome conversation.

Besides, the last two sentences his mom had said to him was a touchy subject.

"I'm going out," he called over his shoulder, pulling his front door open and then quickly shutting it behind him.

He had survived an attack of the vicious parents, and he suddenly felt like he had just completed an S-ranked mission.

* * *

Shikamaru, of course, had immediately headed straight from his house to Temari's place, forgetting all about breakfast time and the bad mood that it had put him in.

When he knocked on her beautifully carved wooden door, he received no reply, and for a moment, he wondered if he had forgotten about some sort of plans that his girl might have made for the morning. But he discarded that thought - she would have reminded him last night that she would be busy.

So the Jounin wandered around the side of the house, hopping atop the white privacy fence until he had followed it all the way into the backyard's beautiful flower gardens.

He should have known she'd be out there, of all places in Konoha.

Leaning slightly over, touching the petals of a beautiful purple and white flower, Temari was unaware of Shikamaru's presence, completely absorbed in the plant's cheery appearance. Knowing her, she had probably already showered and done tons of paperwork by now. She was a hard worker, alright.

A smile came to his face as he watched her. She was so intriguing to him, it was breathtaking just to watch her look at flowers.

"Oi. Temari," he greeted, watching her turn towards him with the grace of a Sand Shinobi.

She smiled back at him, her eyes bright and wide awake, but with a vexatious glint in them.

"You know, you really shouldn't peak in on a woman like that," she criticized as he walked over to her, his hands in his pockets like any other normal day. She watched as he calmly and coolly caught her eye.

"I wouldn't have been able to help it either way," he wisecracked.

What he got in return for his joke was a slap across the back of his head, the meaning as serious as sin. But when they looked at each other for a small pause, Temari began to laugh, and Shikamaru smiled. It had been a while since she had last hit him like that. She used to do it all the time before they had admitted they had feelings for one another.

Feeling a painful urge to be spending more quality time with her, Shikamaru brushed hair away from her eyes, and spontaneously thought of an idea.

"Would you like to come with me someplace special?" he ventured.

She looked mighty pleased and curious. "A special place, huh? What would we do there?"

"Have an early picnic. You can bring some paperwork if you feel like it, too," he replied, the sun reflecting off of his eyes.

"Nothing sounds like more fun, although I'd like to skip the paperwork this time."

In moments, they were inside of the house, preparing for their picnic. When they were ready, Shikamaru grabbed her hand and led him to his favorite place in the entire world.

* * *

It was the grassy hill in a more remote part of town that he led Temari to. This was where he came to do most of his cloud gazing and deep thinking, and not many people knew about his special place except for his closest friends. Temari seemed to like it right away.

They settled down at the top of the hill, near a tree, unpacking some snacks and lying close to one another. Their arms would touch every now and then as they reached into the basket for food, and it sent tingles through his entire being. It was moments like these that he truly craved.

As Temari stuck her hand into the basket and pulled out some food, she noticed that Shikamaru was watching her intently. She gave him an intoxicating smile, handing him his grub but letting her hand linger near his.

"Whatcha looking at, Big Boy?" she asked, using the stupid but fitting nickname she had made up for him a while ago. Of course, pet names were nice, and he didn't at all mind being called a name as stupid as _Big Boy_. As long as it was Temari who was dubbing it to him he'd tolerate it.

He took an exaggerated amount of time to answer her, looking deep into her teal eyes with a small smile. It wasn't his style (flirting in general wasn't his style), but he was adapting to it well. She stared right back at him and watched from the corner of her eyes as he set aside the apple she had given to him, leaning in closer to her yearningly. She responded with mirroring movements, sliding a hip across cloth.

"I've come to the conclusion that even the stars could not shine as brightly as your beautiful eyes," he told her in a confident voice that was as sure as the sky was blue.

His fingers brushed across her hand.

"Hmm, I never knew you had a poetic side," Temari breathed quietly, closing the gap between their faces slowly but surely. This wouldn't be their first kiss, but Temari thought it had might as well be just as romantic.

It was a moment they were both dying to get over with. They never got to share much of this type of time together, since they were out in public majority of the days. But as soon as their lips parted and they came so close to locking, the unthinkable happened.

A piercing, unnatural sound interrupted them. Mumbling an inappropriate curse, Shikamaru moved away from Temari so quickly that it was hard to tell that he had been near her to begin with.

The shape of a large, white animal flashed across the grass and plunged in the air towards Shikamaru. With quick reflexes, he shot his arms out to help break the impact, but it was no use trying to avoid the crushing weight.

"Akamaru," he announced, looking at Temari in pain. She seemed as irritated as he was at the interruption, but also clearly amused as Akamaru began to lick at his face. He tried to push the annoying pooch away, but he didn't seem to want to go anywhere.

For such a cute dog, it was hard to believe that this guy would hurt a fly when in battle. But when Akamaru worked with Kiba as a two "man" team, they were an unstoppable force.

Speaking of Akamaru's master, he was just circling around the tree and stopping above the couple in grass, looking down at them with a toothy grin on his face.

"Hey," Shikamaru greeted in a friendly tone. He was particularly pleased when Akamaru stood up and walked to Kiba's side, panting saliva into the grass below. _Gross_.

"Thanks for finding him, buddy," Kiba said, patting the pup's head. He sniffled once and looked over at Shikamaru, after his brown eyes had trailed over Temari and the entire picnic supplies. "What's up?"

"We were just getting ready to eat an early lunch," the blonde told him, a smile on her face. Not the kind of smile that Shikamaru relished - the smile that was save for him and him only. But it was still pretty as ever.

"Normally I'd be starving at this time of day, but--"

Kiba stopped mid sentence to sneeze loudly, covering his mouth with his arm.

"You have a cold, huh?" Shikamaru asked, glancing at Akamaru. The dog was staring at him with his dark eyes, looking like he could laugh if he was able to. Hopefully it wasn't because the dog had probably seen Shikamaru and Temari about to furiously and erotically make out underneath a shady tree in the late morning.

"Yeah," he said, sniffling again. "I had Akamaru sniff you out because I can't smell a thing today. But anyway, I was looking for you because I just got out of Tsunade's office. She told me as I was leaving to go ahead and find you, since she wants to discuss something with you."

Shikamaru looked curiously at the green apple resting beside him. What horrible timing.

With a quick "see you later," Kiba and Akamaru hopped away in the direction they came from, leaving Shikamaru and Temari alone once more.

He cleared his throat and looked at her, his eyes narrowed. Temari, however, no longer looked mad. Instead, she gazed softly at him, a breeze gently caressing her cheeks and blowing strands of hair out of her face.

"Meet me back here tonight. I want to see those stars you were talking about," she told him.

He smiled earnestly at her and took a bite of his apple, while Temari began to pick up some of the things and put them neatly back into the custom-weaved basket.

"I look forward to it."


	3. Tenten is too Smart

Temari had walked all the way back to her guesthouse alone, and once inside began putting away all of the uneaten food. After that, she stowed the basket inside the closet where she had found it (since it wasn't her own), and looked around the kitchen. Now that she knew what she had been missing in life for eighteen years, having no Shikamaru around was extremely boring and the hours without him dragged on.

If only Kiba and Akamaru hadn't shown up today…

She sighed and walked out of the room, heading for the front door. She would go ahead and wander the streets for a little while before heading back to her second home and doing some more of that paperwork. There was no point sulking in the lonely house and wishing that their time hadn't been interrupted. Life was work, and Shikamaru was busy working hard for _her_. After all, the alliance between Konoha and Suna meant a lot for both of them. A lot more than anybody knew.

_And even once the alliance becomes official… That doesn't mean we can still be together, _Temari thought to herself sullenly, reaching over her shoulder to adjust her fan that she had grabbed before heading outside.

It was a beautiful day, quite chilly. In about a week it'd start to get really freezing. Shikamaru was going to take advantage of the weather, she knew it. He took advantage of every opportunity he could to get closer to Temari. She liked to brag that her boyfriend wasn't a slacker when he had something worthwhile to strive for.

But how worthwhile was it really?

How could their relationship ever work out? Sure, they cared about each other, more than either have them had ever planned to. Shikamaru had already paid the ultimate sacrifice for their bond, but by some miracle he got a second chance at life. Perhaps, however, the _real_ test was just around the corner.

Temari wasn't living in Konoha. She wouldn't be here forever.

What would happen when she was to return to Suna? To her home village? How could she ever cope without him now that they had become inseparable? When she was to return home, how was Temari ever going to explain to Gaara and Kankurou why she was so depressed?

One day was hard enough to be away from Shikamaru. But for months on end…

She didn't get to finish that last thought; someone interrupted her, calling out loudly from behind her.

"OI. TEMARI!"

Snapping out of her unhappy world, Temari stopped walking and curiously turned sideways to look. Of course, she already knew who it was that had hollered her name. She could have recognized the voice even if it was miles away. A warm smile came to her face.

"Tenten! You're back from your mission, huh?" Temari asked her acquaintance, as the female Shinobi slowed her running pace to a gait. Tenten looked all too happy to see her, Temari realized, and it made her wonder just how many people had truly gotten used to the Sunagakure girl being around.

"Yeah, it wasn't hard at all. The man who was holding the child hostage was a weakling and a coward. He left so many openings for us to close in on that it was insanity on his part… Of course, with Neji leading the squad, no loophole could escape _his_ eyes," she announced confidently, her brown eyes sparkling as she recalled in her mind all that had happened. She had no cuts on her arms or face or anything, either, Temari noted. She must have been right - a drop-dead easy-as-pie mission. Must have been nice to get some action even if it was short-lived.

The recollection of the mission lasted only a split moment as Tenten grabbed Temari's hand and led her to a bench on the side of the road. It looked to Temari like she wouldn't be having any time to be mulling over her worries, which was good for her. It used to be that the eighteen year-old never let herself get this down, not even when she was forced to go to war with a country full of innocent people that she respected (also known as Konoha).

"So, tell me how your week went! What did you do? Did you get all of your work done?" Tenten blabbered without taking a breath. It was as if they were best friends. Temari wasn't quite ready to say that they were, since their friendship needed more time to grow towards something lifelong, but it was the closest friend she ever had, truly. There were no other women her age in Suna that she got along with, not even when they were all kids still training to be ninja.

She blinked her teal eyes and looked away, the hint of a small blush on her cheeks. Before Tenten had left for the mission, Temari had mentioned how she'd like to get her latest developments for the next Chuunin exams finished. Of course, she had gotten distracted the past… Month or so, and she still hadn't finished all of her work. Hopefully Tsunade wouldn't get suspicious.

"Well, I'm not done yet but there isn't much left to go," she replied coolly, resting her hands in her lap. Her fingers curled slightly.

Tenten hummed a little tune and watched a bird flutter into a big rose bush. Temari didn't realize it, but she had a curious look on her face. She seemed to have her suspicions.

"Why don't you get Shikamaru to help you with some of it, if at all possible?" she mused with a light tone, still watching the bird.

"Hmm," Temari replied, turning her head in the opposite direction. Her eyes glazed over with secretive thoughts. "Yeah…"

_It's a shame I already tried that… It just made me even more distracted._

No, what she really needed was to get over her addiction and do what she had been sent to Konoha for. Even if it was just a day of nonstop work… She could manage a day without him. Couldn't she?

"No… I don't need him to help me, it's fine," she said suddenly, after snapping out of her thoughts and coming to her conclusion. She looked back at Tenten with a crooked smile, but it didn't reach her eyes like it should have.

Tenten wasn't buying any of Temari's excuses. Huffing stubbornly, she crossed her arms against her chest and looked at her friend with a hard stare. "Tell me what's going on," she demanded without mercy, her brown eyes hardening like they did when they fought two and a half years ago as enemies.

Temari was shocked that Tenten pursued the subject - shocked that she even saw something off in her demeanor. She had only asked Temari one simple question, but apparently her reaction wasn't good enough to appease Tenten's opinion.

_Well, why shouldn't she see something different? I'm a different person now._

Different in the sense that she was sneaking behind the backs of the Kazekage and the Hokage and pretty much everything she had ever known.

She recovered from the shock of being sold out, and quite quickly, since she had always had good reflexes when it came to emotions. She turned away from Tenten with a frown just as stubborn, her pride refusing to let her give in that swiftly.

"I'm distracted from my work, but I'm going to get myself back on track. The end."

What came after her confident assertion was a prolonged silence that left Temari feeling very childish. Even though Tenten had just plainly called her out on her love interest, she was still refusing to let it become public - even to her closest girlfriend. Before she let herself feel bad, the blonde-haired woman sighed with longing and defeat.

"Okay, so that's just scratching the surface. The truth is, I'm slacking off from my duties as an Ambassador because I've gotten involved with… A person I probably should have avoided a relationship with. To put it simply."

Instead of being angry at Tenten for trying to intrude into her business, Temari was actually polar opposite. In fact, she didn't even see it as Tenten trying to intrude - that was such an ugly and unfair word. If anything, her tomboyish friend was probably somewhat concerned or even supportive of what was going on behind the scenes.

This was why, when Temari turned to look at Tenten, her eyes were clouded with all of the emotion she had been hiding for the past weeks.

Immediately, Tenten became serious, and leaned in just a bit closer so that they wouldn't have to talk loudly and draw attention to themselves. You can always trust girls and women to know how to discuss something secretively in public.

"It's Shikamaru, am I right?" she asked, her eyes gleaming. As Temari nodded at the question, she secretly wondered how long Tenten actually knew about the two of them. That's when she found herself asking that very question out loud.

"How long have you known?"

A devilish grin crinkled her pale face. Oh, dear.

"It feels like I've known it all along. But the truth is, I only _really_ got suspicious when I bumped into you and Shikamaru at that restaurant, two weeks ago. You two looked so drawn into each other's very presence that I was sorry I even interrupted you," she annotated softly, but not without an excited tone.

Oh, yes. Temari remembered that day. Shikamaru had told Temari he'd take her out to dinner, somewhere nice and quiet, and before even their appetizers had been presented, Tenten approached their table to say hello. She recalled glimpsing the calm and collected look Shikamaru wore and wondering just how terrified or embarrassed she herself must appear in comparison.

Bless Shikamaru and his ability to remain calm in any situation. Curse it, too!

"How long have you two been together?" Tenten asked before Temari could put any cents into the matter.

"Since we came back from that mission in the Land of Snow."

Tenten nodded and looked back at the rose bush absentmindedly. "I guess that would make sense."

Leaning forward and supporting her face in her hands, Temari stared at the ground below. It felt good to be talking to someone other than Shikamaru about the whole thing. But the relief on her face soon twisted into confusion.

"All along?" she suddenly asked, moving back into the seat of the bench.

"What's that?"

She bit her lip. "You mentioned you felt as if you knew we were together all along. What does that mean?"

Honestly, Temari was curious. Were the sparks between the two of them so obvious? Was there a chance that more people were on to them than they thought?

As if she could read the older teenager's mind, Tenten quickly shook her head in a reassuring manner.

"I'm not saying that it was apparent that you two were actually together," she told her, glancing up as a stranger walked on by without paying the two girls any attention. "It was just the way you two seem to belong together even if you fought a lot. When you stand next each other, you remind me of a long time married couple. The chemistry between the two of you is amazing."

Temari's heart fluttered when she heard those words said out loud. Sometimes, she thought the same thing. They were complete opposites and yet closer in similarities than any other couple either of them knew. Was that even possible? For them, it had to be. That's all there was to it.

A chuckle escaped from her mouth and she found herself smiling. Shaking her head at the same time, she looked up at the clouds.

"You're even smarter than Neji brags you to be," she told her friend, in a grateful way.

Tenten scoffed, half sincerely and half playfully. "Neji would never _brag_ about me. It's hard even to get personal compliment out of that guy."

"Aw, you know he's into you. Give him time," she said, patting Tenten's shoulder.

Tenten smiled, but looked back at Temari seriously. "I know you're worried, Temari. I won't make you talk about it anymore right now. But I just want to let you know, I'm really excited about it! So keep me updated, okay?"

While she listened to Tenten, her mind suddenly snapped back into focus. Oh yeah, she forgot! She had a date with Shikamaru!

With a burst of and excitement, she jumped off of the bench and resisted the temptation to jog away without giving Tenten an explanation. She had to use her self control to turn her body around.

"Tenten, I just remembered! I have somewhere to be! It's with Shikamaru. He invited me to go stargazing with him tonight."

Tenten shot off of her behind with movements just as animated as Temari's. "GREAT KAME. Have fun!! You gotta tell me what happens!"

All to eager to get ready, Temari quickly nods. "No doubt I will!"

She turned to leave, but stopped herself short again.

"Umm…"

She turned around to smile at her Konoha acquaintance.

"Thanks for everything, Tenten. I'll keep you updated for sure."

Tenten grinned, all too pleased with the news.


	4. In Too Deep?

The sky was beginning to melt from blue to orange when Temari half-ran towards the special meeting place. When she had separated from Tenten, Temari had rushed back to her guesthouse to get ready for the night. She had already showered in the morning but she wanted to be completely fresh for the date, so she scrubbed herself for a good twenty minutes before turning her attention to her hair and makeup. She didn't need to do a whole lot to herself; she just put on a little bit of lipstick and dried her hair, afterwards tying four buns with some of her nicer ribbons. She realized that she was running a few minutes late when she officially walked out of the door.

Upon her arrival, Shikamaru was sitting on a nothing but grass, his arm supported on his knee as he stared at the setting sun. He looked devilishly handsome with his thin face glowing in the dying sunlight. He was probably looking attractive on purpose, that's what it seemed like nowadays; she was always thinking of how handsome he was no matter where they were or what they were doing.

At the same time he became aware of her presence, Temari noticed just how anxious he looked. She felt guilty for making him wait, even though she was only maybe ten minutes past the scheduled time.

With a relieved look on his face, he gave her a welcoming smile as she slowed down her pace and neared him.

"Sorry to make you wait," she apologized, slightly out of breath.

He shrugged; it wasn't as if he was always on time anyway.

"I was worried that some creep took you, or you got lost, or that you didn't want to come after all," he admitted honestly, shaking his head like it was stupid of him to even think that.

Before she could shoot out some more apologies or defend herself against the 'creep' comment, she watched as he reached for her arm and gently pulled her down to the grass next to him, holding her in an intimate cuddle. It made her giggle womanishly, and Shikamaru pointed out to himself how she didn't smack him in the back of his head for his forceful actions. Just weeks ago they were nothing but clashing rivals…

Only a couple of stars were out when they both looked up at the heavens. It was peaceful. Within a couple of quiet minutes, however, the bleeding sky was completely dark, and hundreds upon hundreds of brilliant speckles began to shimmer against the dark blue mass.

Temari's eyes clouded over with a fascination; to Shikamaru, it was even more amusing than her reaction to those personal gardens.

"Wow, Shikamaru. You have the best place in all of Konoha," she spoke furtively, as if a louder voice would kill the naturalness of the moment. Shikamaru just shrugged and smiled while looking ahead.

"No, seriously. You were right; they're beautiful."

When he didn't answer, she turned her head slightly to glance at him, only to see him shaking his head.

For some reason, his negative reaction killed her mood and caused her to frown. Temari wasn't sure if he noticed her put-out face or not, but he didn't leave her without some sort of explanation either way.

"Hn. There's just something different about these stars tonight."

He rubbed at his shoulder while his girlfriend stared at him in disbelief.

"Hey," she growled with authority, poking his chest with a forefinger. "What's so different, Big Boy?"

He might have been taken seriously by the tone of his voice if it weren't for the smug smirk on his face.

"I'll never tell," he replied simply, sitting back so that he was supporting himself with his elbows. He was too cool about it.

Her immediate reaction was, of course, to pursue the subject with no mercy. She asked him the same question, this time with more of a threatening demeanor; she got the same reaction as before. So, with a grin just as stubborn as Shikamaru's, Temari calmly pushed him back into the grass by both of his shoulders and straddled him before he could get himself upright again.

She smiled while staring down at him. The bright moonlight cast an almost eerie glow on her pale face. "You'd better tell me," she spoke softly - deathly.

Shikamaru looked surprised in the first second but quickly recovered his cool expression. In the back of her mind she felt another twinge of jealousy at how he could stay so laid-back about anything. She wasn't going to call it against him though when she noticed that he was incapable of hiding the eager glint in his brown eyes.

"What will happen if I won't tell you?" he wondered out loud.

She didn't give him an answer. Instead, Temari began to lean in closer towards his face, her torso drawing in towards his as well. Their eyes wandered over one another's facial features until they were so close that they could no longer see straight. When Shikamaru felt her warm lips brush across his own, he greedily reached for the back of her head and pulled her into the kiss. It was slow, tender, and arousing, and they both savored the emotion of it.

But Temari broke it off the moment before it fired up into something more intense. She took a relaxed breath, but was nowhere near ready to give up what she had been aiming for.

"You _will_ tell."

He lifted his arms and began to slide the woman off of his waist. She didn't fight it, and so Shikamaru swiftly and painlessly rolled her onto her back so that he was now the one straddling her.

He watched her for a couple of moments, teasing her with a smug smile. The fingers on his right hand trailed down her left shoulder and arm and gave her soft skin a plethora of goose bumps. Finally, he admitted what to her what the big secret was.

"These stars are different because you're here to share them with me. I know it sounds corny, and a couple of months ago I would have rolled my eyes at someone else if they said something like that."

His gut did flip-flops when her smirk become much more of a beam. He wasn't honestly sure why. He had seen that beautiful simper lots of times. She never ceased to bring out the emotions in him; he hoped terribly that that would never change between them.

"They're troublesome stars, now," he added calmly, reaching his finger downward to flick at some of her loose strands of golden hair.

"Hahahahaha!" Temari laughed in response, whether or not Shikamaru's comment was meant to be humorous. He chuckled lightly and felt her tug at his hair, and he barely had time to suck in a breath as she began to rove her face across his.

Her soft lips first met the skin of his neck and she began to explore every bare inch of it, while Shikamaru slowly let himself fall at her side. Now she was above him again, and in control of the game. He didn't seem to mind letting her have her fun and so he waited for her to work her way back to his lips again, meanwhile tilting his head whenever she wanted to get a taste of a broader area of his neck. His fingertips caressed her clothed back in a loving way, while both of their breathing quickened.

This was everything he wanted, he thought to himself. His training as a Genin, his countless confrontations with death, his duty as a Shinobi… If he could keep Temari forever and all to himself, it would surely bring his life much more meaning. No wonder Asuma-sensei had let himself fall in love with a certain woman, when he was still alive. A strange kind of exhilaration.

…

Their lips met and Shikamaru's mind clouded over for a moment. A thought was working up in his brain but he was too distracted to think much about it. But as soon as Temari's hands began creeping underneath his dusty Jounin vest, something clicked in his brain.

When they stopped kissing one another to take a breath, Shikamaru turned his face away. Grass tickled his cheek as he stared somewhere on the black horizon. He was surprised he had the willpower to resist such a golden temptation of thoroughly loving every inch of her, but this was…

His beady brown eyes shifted to hers to see her staring at him, disappointed and put out. He didn't blame her; it must look like she was being utterly rejected. Oh, how badly he wanted to grab her and start kissing on her pretty face again.

"Temari…" he started slowly, his voice deadly responsible and calculating. Sometimes she really hated that voice because it usually meant big trouble. "We need to slow this down for now."

Fear slashed through her belly like a kunai. What did he mean, "slow down?" They were ninjas, any day now one of them could be sent off on a mission that they never came home from. What if they never had a real chance together? If Shikamaru happened to die tomorrow…

She couldn't imagine the indescribable pain it would give her. Forever.

"Shikamaru, please don't say that," she whispered, in a desperate voice that she had never used before. She cupped both sides of his face in her hands and stared down at him with a face so longing for him that his heart ached. Despite that, though, a genuine and good-natured smile creased his maturing teenage face.

"You don't even know what I'm saying, woman, you haven't let me get to the point."

His cheerful tone and grin brightened the mood of dread. He gently grabbed onto one of her arms and sat up at the same time, while she pulled her remaining hand away from his cheek.

"I just think we need to lie low until we know for sure that this," he gestured to the both of them, "is gonna last or will even begin to be allowed as something serious. We can get in trouble for this, Temari. You could lose your privileges as Ambassador, mine as a Jounin, and we would never see each other again, shamed for the rest of our lonely lives."

The words were a heavy weight, even though she had already been thinking the same thoughts before. It was a likely idea that their relationship would be a condemned one. If there was a chance they would never make it together, they did not need to get in this deep with each other.

She already knew all that, but how could she kill the craving to rip Shikamaru's shirt right off his back? Oh man, how she wanted to do that someday…

She sighed and threw herself back into the grass, staring up at the stars. "I know you're right, Big Boy. This doesn't mean I'm never kissing you again, though."

In response to her Shikamaru cuddled up close to her left side and gave her cheek a long but simple kiss.

"Good. I didn't say we couldn't make out like that again, every once in a while," he told her in a husky, greedy voice.

She grinned devilishly and pulled him into a giant hug, and for along time they sat there together, watching the stars in comfortable silence. By now their blood had cooled off and their bodies no longer felt like dead weights, and they instead began to enjoy thinking about tomorrow's agenda. They would have to work this thing out day by day. They didn't have a choice.

When they both finally sat up, their eyes were beginning to look droopy. It was late into the night now, and they needed rest in case something unexpected came up, as was the life of a real ninja.

"I'll walk you home," Shikamaru offered.

She almost wanted to shoo him off right then and there - his house wasn't really on the way of the guesthouse. She then realized that he had guessed her thoughts and by the look of his face, wasn't going to take 'no' as an answer. She shrugged and they began to travel away from their special hilltop at a leisurely pace.

At the front door of her temporary home, they hesitated.

"..Thanks for tonight, Shika," she quietly spoke, watching his face with a small smile.

He blinked and said back to her, "I'll try to come for you tomorrow if nothing troublesome is going on."

"I look forward to it."

And then they lingered close to each other for a few small moments, almost as if they were going to kiss. Then she turned away, opened her door, and walked inside, without looking back.

Shikamaru stood looking at the handle of her door and scratched the back of his neck thoughtfully. Then, he, too, turned around and headed back for home, where his comfy bed awaited him.

Inside the guesthouse, Temari had changed her clothes, brushed her teeth after a quick late-night snack, and was lying in her bed when she began to think back on her history with Shikamaru.

The very first time she had met him was in battle for the Chuunin exams. He had beaten her back then, and she was in awe at the way he seemed so uninterested in it all, and yet so devoted at the same time. How could someone so resourceful and talented like he was still win a fight if he was without any real gumption?

Years passed after that day she saved him from Tayuya. They shared a mutual respect in those long minutes, and for a moment Temari had been pretty sure that something between that had clicked. But as the weeks and months passed by and she visited Konoha a few times, he barely acknowledged her and what had so far happened between them. She knew they were the perfect rivals, but it bothered her ego, just watching the way he give her a small, knowing grin before walking away without saying another word. She never found out if it was him being his unmotivated self or if he was flaunting himself to her.

It wasn't until that trip to the Land of Snow… Where they fought with each other but learned so many new things about the other. They talked and they bonded and they gained each other's real respect. They became…needy for each other, she could say. They had so much in common despite their differences. And in the finale of that mission, she knew that he was truly a wonderful person, and all that gossip and the positive things his friends and family were telling her proved to be true. He died for her. Died and was brought back to life, given another chance because he was willing to risk it all for his rival.

She turned her light off and cuddled underneath the sheets of the bed.

From the moment he opened his eyes and embraced her, hours later after he was brought back from the verge of death, she had never felt more safer, more complete. She felt it in her heart, from the way that he held her so delicately but so desperately - gratefully - that he loved her. Then he voiced his feelings out loud, and her world became brighter than ever before. That was the day she realized she wasn't as tough as she had led everyone on to believe. She had needs and feelings just like any normal eighteen year old girl, like any normal _human_.

Ever since that first embrace, the feeling of being in his arms had never changed. He held her like he was holding something dear - she believed that. And you know what?

As Temari started to drift away into sleep, her last thought was, "_I love him, too, after everything we've been through together."_

_

* * *

_

**Author's Note: **I deeply regret my inactivity with Fanfiction and I am so very sorry to all my fans who have been waiting and waiting and WAITING!!! Thank you so much for sticking it out with me. I still do plan on finishing this fan fiction, whether it takes weeks or months or a year. This sequel to "A Heart of Gold" is probably one of my favorite creations of all time, and I'm eager to share my ideas of Shikamaru and Temari with the world! So if chapter 5 ends up taking me another couple months to post, please don't decide to call it quits! I'm working hard. It's been a busy, heart breaking, and tough last few months for me. I had a death in the family and it was a very tragic one with a long story - but let's just say that my dear cousin is now getting some well-deserved rest and I am feeling much better almost four months later. Although the sorrow still hits me in random moments, it's only to be expected. I'm okay and I am still living strong. After all that subsided I've also had parties and babysitting and chores and schoolwork and.. All kinds of time-consuming things.

I hope you guys all know that I have worked on this chapter a LOT. At least five times a month I would open it up, read it over again, and type a few sentences. But my muse was just bomb shelled and I started focusing my attention more on watching anime and hanging out with my friends - perhaps just a way for me to cope even though I thought I felt fine. The mind is an amazing thing... So anyway please excuse me if this chapter was not my usual style. I did follow my script but you know how that goes…

I'M ALSO SORRY FOR THE HUGE AUTHOR'S NOTE.

I love you fans and don't forget to help me out with some nice, juicy criticism or just a simple and well-deserved "Dear God thank you for finally updating" review. Tata for now!


	5. Confessions

It was probably eight-thirty when Shikamaru stepped up to the solid cherry oak doors of Temari's guesthouse. With his hands in his pocket and his eyes narrowed, he looked much like his ordinary self… Except for that fact that he had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep the night before. It was mostly a mixture of getting only a few hours of rest and tossing and turning from his dreams, filled with images of stars reflected in deep, teal eyes belonging to a beautiful woman.

He took a relaxed breath and glanced at some unusual markings near the door handle. It looked like some simple ninjutsu containing a message inside. He quickly brought both hands to eye level and performed an expulsion technique, with much ease.

"Release!" he commanded quietly, and watched as the black markings began to fade away. A small piece of paper drizzled into view; it was a hand-written letter. As he quickly picked it up and read it he both smiled and frowned in just a matter of a moment.

"Dear Lazy,

Tenten and I are hanging out for the better half of the day so I will see you later. Meet me here tonight at seven for another dinner…

Love,

Your Temari-chan."

With one hand still in its pocket, Shikamaru crumbled the thin paper in his palm. What shall he do for almost half a day? Nothing. Nothing _to_ do. Unless, of course, he could be magically blessed with a D-ranked mission around the village to pass the time, but that hadn't happened in about two years. So he began to walk aimlessly for the next five minutes, all the while continuing to pray that Kakashi or Kurenai or _somebody_ would poof in his walkway and call him into duty - which seemed to always happen in the most inconvenient times. As his gaze swept across the morning crowds of Konoha, his eyes caught site of a very unique hairdo swaying through the mixture of civilians - and he realized his prayers may have been answered.

Chouji, in all his girth, was crossing paths with his teammate. They caught each other's eyes; Chouji caught the purposeless look Shikamaru gave him, while Shikamaru noted that Chouji had his 'hungry-face' on. Looks like they had both hit the jackpot!

"Hey," the spiky-haired Jounin greeted, hands in his pockets. While, noticing Chouji had crumbs on his face, the likes of which resembled something like potato chips, Shikamaru, turned on his heels to walk beside his best friend. "You look like you could use a lunch break."

The smile and the fire-lit eyes were instantaneously there as Chouji stopped walking to look at his teammate. He was silent, but in the mischievous sort of demeanor.

"You buying?"

"Whatever."

And so a fifteen year old ninja began to shove his way through the crowd, heading for his favorite barbeque restaurant in the entire world, while a mysteriously quiet man with his hands in his pockets leisurely followed.

* * *

He couldn't help but glance at the clock on the far side of the room every couple of minutes. He'd look up, realize he was only another hundred seconds closer to seeing Temari, and then he'd try to hide his frustration as he chewed on his lip. He had already looked over the menu and had decided what he wanted, but before the waitress came to take their orders, he picked it back up to intensely study it's every corner.

He looked back up at the clock. 10 in the morning.

_Dammit. Damn it all._

When he exhaled, almost in a sort of angry grunt, he realized that he was being watched by none other than Chouji, across the table from him.

He was sipping on his drink, trying not to look too curious - but Shikamaru knew better. He raised a brow at Chouji, set down the menu, and quite casually admitted, "I'm freaking hungry."

Chouji's mouth opened to speak before he cut himself short. His eyes strayed just beyond Shikamaru, blank as could be. When he turned to see what was worth gaping at, he saw a younger woman was standing behind him to his left, empty handed but bright-eyed and energetic. She was obviously a waitress for the restaurant, wearing nothing but a simple kimino and apron outfit - but even something a modest as a kunoichi's uniform had become something simply… Well, sexy.

Shikamaru watched her as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, which looked as though it had been purposely pulled from the tied up bun of hair atop of her head. Of course, he couldn't help but glance at Chouji, who fumbled with his chopsticks, setting them down on their rest; considering he was already holding them.

"_Chuumon shiyou_!" Chouji boomed before the skinny waitress could speak. "I will have the Temaki, please, to begin with. Then I would like to have the Donburi special - with an extra side of pork, please."

The waitress looked a little thrown off at the suddenness, but was quick to memorize the order with confidence. "Is that all for you?"

"No, not at all. I'd also like the beef teppanyaki. Extra beef."

When Chouji finished his ordering, the waitress turned towards Shikamaru with a polite smile. Shikamaru thought he saw Chouji's head spin. "I'll have the Donburi special, thank you," he mused.

And when she walked away to place the specifics with the chef, Shikamaru began to stir at his tea and concentrate on the time.

Chouji, on the other hand, was ready for conversation.

"Isn't she gorgeous?!" he cooed, practically drooling over his drinks. He pointed a finger across the table, forgetting all about manners now that the plain young lady was off and about. "If it wouldn't upset Ino, I would ask this lady out any day!"

Talking over a giddy giggle, Shikamaru just grinned and said, "I think you should just go for it. You need a girlfriend pretty badly…"

The large ninja sat back in his chair with a pout, "Yeah, well, it wasn't me she was looking at, it was you."

Shikamaru shrugged and stared out of the nearest window, which caused Chouji to gape at him in disbelief. He sat back in his chair and quietly picked up his chopsticks, poking at his plate with impatience. Moments of silence passed before the Nara boy spared a glance without turning his head. Chouji was watching him furrowed brows.

"What have you been up to lately, Shikamaru?" he queried, taking a quick sip of his tea.

Shikamaru chewed the side of his lip and sighed. "Nothing special."

"Even so, that's something! What?"

"I've been out and about," he replied, with a tight-lipped grin. Shikamaru might be legally considered a genius and was capable of lying perfectly to a stranger… But pulling off a false act with Chouji was something else entirely. Chouji was his best friend, and teammate, and almost felt bad that he was hiding something important from him. But he definitely didn't want word to get around right now.

"Alright. Truth is, Chouji, I have…"

Chouji leaned in a good deal closer. And then, the waitress showed up, carrying trays of glorious, yummy-looking food, and that was the end of that. Chouji told him to wait a moment and began to stuff his face full, picking everything off of every plate at once. Shikamaru merely pecked at his food, taking small bites at a time.

* * *

When they were finally finished eating and waiting for the check, Shikamaru wondered if Chouji would forget about him and the confession he was about to make. But, of course, that wasn't about to happen - good things were not happening today.

"So what were you saying before the food came?"

Well, here goes nothing.

"I've been involved with a troublesome woman lately. I'm just not sure about where it will lead. No, you won't be meeting her, and no, we are not dating."

Half lie, half truth.

That was enough info to send Chouji crashing backwards in his chair. Loud gasps sounded throughout the restaurant as the young man slammed against the wood floor, a look of bedazzlement on his face. As waiters and waitresses came rushing over in a frenzy, Shikamaru sighed and felt more jittery than he had all day. And when he glanced one more time at his clock, his heart sunk for the millionth time.

* * *

"HAHAHA. I can't believe you have a girlfriend!"

Five minutes. It had been five minutes and they were just know walking out of the doors of the restaurant. Much to Shikamaru's frustrations, Chouji had not stopped laughing. Even though it was himself that had caused a ruckus in public and scuffed the floor of a very nice place. At least the restaurant had been somewhat forgiving.

"I mean… Really? You don't even like girls! You think they're troublesome."

As if the adrenaline rush of joy made him hungrier, the ninja had already pulled out a bag of potato chips and was munching them while smiling gleefully.

Shikamaru, through clenched teeth, turned towards Chouji while stopping in place.

"I'll see you later. No gossiping."

And he jumped onto the nearest roof and began to wander away.

* * *

"Eat this!"

It was about half past two and Temari was having a sparring match with Tenten. Though Temari was the representative living in Konoha, it was not considered dishonorable to have a practice round with a fellow ninja! Good thing for Temari, too, because she needed to stay sharp. Plus she needed to pass the time.

Their arms connected with brutal force - neither flinched and it sounded as if bones had cracked. But the two women simply backed away and their feet slid in the dust. They stood, panting, as they stared at each other with sweaty faces.

Once more Temari charged at Tenten, her left hand reaching into her weapon pouch to grasp a kunai. Feeling the twinge of cold metal in her fingers, her heart leapt; it felt so great to be practicing Ninjutsu. Her trusty fan was still strapped to her back as though she was in a real match, and though the seventy-pound contraption would throw off a normal girl, everyone knew Temari was no ordinary woman!

Metal clinked against metal as both females tossed a kunai at one another. When they fell to the ground, they took deep breaths and stood up straight. The faces of concentration broke and they began to cool down their blood. Time for a break.

Tenten wiped the sweat that bad begun to form on her brow. Though the weather was getting much cooler, it was hard not to break a sweat. Temari, on the other hand, was used to boiling temperatures, and had barely begun to perspire. Maybe that's why her skin was always so clear!

"So," she said between two heavy breaths, "you never did tell me how it went with you-know-who the other night."

The blonde bent down and picked up her kunai, inspecting the sharp edges. Her eyes seemed to glaze over as she recalled the belly-churning events just a few hours ago. Man, she could still feel his body pressed up against her while he clutched at the small of her back…

"Woah, are you still with me?! That look on your face - it's…disgusting!"

Though her tone of voice sounded so serious, Tenten was also smiling. Temari couldn't help but feel embarrassed. She really was losing her edge, wasn't she? Lovesick pansy!

"It went well. Really well," she replied, clearly enthused but trying to tone it down. "We… Well, we sort of kissed."

As she put the kunai pack where it belonged, she watched Tenten's face turn from an expression of interest to one of pure, utterly satisfactorily beam. "No! You didn't?!"

Catching on right away, Temari shook her head in genuine disgust. "No, not like that! I mean, yes, like that, but no!"

A giggle erupted from the younger girl. She waved Temari over as she sprung up into the nearest tree. There, they both took a seat on a branch to relax better.

"Okay, but was the kissing full-blown making-out?" Tenten asked; Temari never expected this Konohagakure girl to be so girly at times, and it would never cease to surprise her!

Temari hesitated, her face hot. She also never expected _herself _to be so girly. "I wouldn't call it _full-blown_."

Lies! But she knew Tenten also knew, and the two of them just began to laugh out loud, feeling a light breeze as it stirred the colorful leaves around them. Temari felt quite at peace. She had gotten so comfortable with her life as ambassador. Clearly, too comfortable. But if she was going to live in Konoha, she was going to _live._ Sounds corny, but Temari was changing these days. Never before had she had to keep a low profile about her life, and never before had she been risking so much of herself. If her assumed "taboo" relationship with the lazy ninja would go under, then it would do so in flames. At this point, Temari knew she was in so deep that it's likely she would drown in it.

She looked over at Tenten, her face soft and curious. On the other hand, what was it like to be in Tenten's shoes? Her love-life was twisted. She had the hotts for her teammate, who never gave the slightest hints that he felt anything similar towards her. What would she have done if Shikamaru had rejected her affections back in the Land of Snow, with Genzi, Aruki, and Jerome?

"You know, being with Shikamaru, as limited as we are," Temari spoke, breaking the silence, "is the best thing that's ever happened to me besides being promoted to Jounin. The joy I had felt to know I was serving a purpose for those that I loved was something I cherished. But now, I think I'm in love. And the joy that I feel when Shikamaru looks at me with such feeling, it rivals the joy I felt before I met him.

"I'm not sure what's going to happen; I admit I'm a little scared, and I've become way too attached."

Tenten wasn't quite sure what to say to all of that. It was interesting to hear Temari speak with such tenderness over her whole situation - she had evolved into a whole entirely new person since the two of them had met, years ago. How could this all turn out badly? She was an ambassador, not a Hokage.

"If being with him makes you happy, then I say you keep it up," she said, hoping at the same time that she wasn't giving Temari some sort of false hope. Temari wasn't a weak person, though.

"Thanks, Tenten," she said, truly meaning it. Tenten had been such a great friend even up until now. It was a blessing to have someone to confide in.

Her thoughts wandered to Shikamaru, and she realized she ought to be getting prepared for later. It was maybe noon but she wanted to clean the huge guest house and cook up something really nice… And a shower would be great, too.

"'I need to get ready for later - I have dinner to cook." She stood up and smiled, flicking up one brow in amusement.

"See you later, Temari! Have fun!"

And the nineteen year-old jumped away.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay! Love you, awesome readers! Sorry that there was no kissin in this chapter... ^^ teehee! Next chapter... Oh, it's good! Real good. Bwahaha!**


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